Old Swords
by oronoda
Summary: Kenji was looking for a simple holiday in Kyoto when a couple of bandits run off with the Sakabatou. After an accident, he finds himself in the care of none other than Seta Soujiro
1. Old Swords Chapter 1

Old Swords  
  
by oronoda  
  
So I don't get sued: I own nothing! BWA HA HA! Well, Sachiko and Yuu are my original characters.   
  
Notes: This is something I always wondered. What would happen if Soujiro and Kenji met? Happened after Reflection. So spoilers for that.  
  
Himura Kenji was just not having a good day. On the upside of things, he was seeing the country side, probably the same landscape his father had seen. However, due to the downside of it all, the scenery was the last thing on his mind. The Sakabatou was. What seemed to be a week long holiday in Kyoto, now was turning into a rat race.   
  
Kenji had been calmly eating in the dining car when he noticed the Sakabatou, which he carried everywhere, was no longer next to him. Glancing quickly around for a possible culprit, he tried to catch up to the two men who seemed to dart for an exit when they noticed Kenji's eyes on them. When Kenji got close enough, the two lanky men leaped out the door. Kenji, not being the sort to think things through carefully enough, followed.   
  
Having survived Hiko's kendo training, Kenji was able to tumble away from any serious injury. Sure, a few scrapes and bruises but that's trivial. Looking a bit annoyed, his dark eyes glance scrutinizingly over the rural scenery. The sun setting behind lazy shallow hills in the distance gave the summer sky a somewhat pink tinge. However, Kenji was the sort who would barrel into things and not take in the little things in life. Who cares about all that? was his theory. He was in a rush to get everywhere. Not thinking of what he planned to do after he got from place to place usually left him in high places; like the roof. Well, that was when he was little. However, 15 years or so later didn't change him that much. For instance, he hasn't even considered how the hell he would be able to get back onto the train and back on track to Kyoto.   
  
Getting to his feet, Kenji brushed himself off and had just noticed his chopsticks were still in his hand. Half of one was broken and was dangling on a splinter.   
  
"Cheh! This isn't going to help me!" Kenji exclaimed as he just tossed the two pieces of wood on the ground and ran into the direction of a wooded area ahead of him. Damn, he couldn't keep track of the thieves in the dark like this. It was at times like these that the "should haves" ran through his head, not like he would admit it outloud. He should have brought a form of life...and a weapon. Like his father, he was not much for unarmed combat. Even though thoughts like this were flying through his head, he still persued further. Probably not a good idea. He couldn't lose the sword though.   
  
As everything around him slowly got darker, Kenji failed to notice a steep dip in the terrain as well as quite a few upraised roots. Suddenly, his already horrible day was about to get a whole lot worse. Feeling his foot getting caught, the ground was about to get a whole lot closer. Failing to catch himself, his head smashes on top of a rock and now things were black for real. Stupid sword. Stupid otousan.  
  
~*~  
  
Just as 18 years can pass and Himura Kenji stayed pretty much the same, 20 years can pass and someone like Seta Soujiro could change quite a bit. On this particular day, Kenji and Soujiro would have a few things in common. One, they were both swordsmen, two, they were in the same area. And three, they are connected to Himura Kenshin.   
  
On this particular night, Soujiro was glancing about looking for a chicken who had run away from its coop. Holding a lantern high above his head, it made his face look a bit spooky. His face had long since lost that constant elated look. His mouth still was a little upturned, but then again, so much smiling has caused it to stick that way. His brown eyes looked tired and slightly haunted but at the same time, a bit content. They no longer had that wall of sanguine which blocked his tortured soul. His face was weathered down with age as he was starting to gain an appearence of wrinkles, especially around his mouth area.   
  
His current appearence and state of mind did not happen overnight. It took years for him to get to this point. However, it was at this moment in his life, he was actually the happiest he had ever been. This is simply because he aquired something he wish he had; a loving family. His priorities had also changed and oddly seemed to have gone down the path of simplicity. He was a simple farmer with a small family; a wife and a daughter and another child on the way. It was Yuu, his wife, who had brought him to stability. She served as his sheath.  
  
His daugher, Sachiko, was the fountain of his happiness. Like the old saying goes, girls are princesses in the eyes of their father. Since he was never clear on how to show affection, he showed his love by being somewhat protective of her and let Yuu do the punishing if she ever misbehaved. He didn't want her to have an upbringing like him at all. Since there was a bit of emotional distance, Sachiko was growing into being a somewhat serious preteen. It was as if she was a product of all the times in which Soujiro needed to be incrediably serious in the past.   
  
His time with Yuu and Sachiko was not without trial and tribulation. Yuu had a miscarriage before Sachiko and his only son, Hiroshi, died when he was only three due to a mysterious illness the previous winter. Soujiro didn't complain. Sure, he was a bit melancoly (but had problems expressing it just the same), but a theme of his life had been to move steadily along the path of life and not to look back. Even though the pictures of certain moments remained at the back of his head, he perfered to forget about them, even though Yuu knew about it. He couldn't get rid of his sword, but he no longer wears it. Instead, he had it hidden in his house. No need to weild a sword in the Meiji Era when one is a farmer and a father and a husband.  
  
As Soujiro strolled through the thicket, he noticed what looked to be a body laying on the ground. Looking a bit concerned, he called, "Hello? Are you okay?"   
  
There was no answer.   
  
Soujiro took a step closer to the body and checked for a pulse. Well, he was still alive. That was good. Carefully rolling the body to his back, Soujiro's eyes went wide with regonition. His heart began to speed up immediately. That red hair...that small stature. But something was missing. Then, right before his eyes, a cross-shaped scar appeared on the young man's face; an hullicination from memory.   
  
Soujiro could feel the corner of his mouth twitch into the smile he used to wear. A small giggle left his lips as he had a flash of memories from the past. It hurt. The memory of him fighting the Battousai the second time when he had his stability balancing on a fine needle and the Hitokiri had knocked it over. Of course, this lead back to the first time his sword had ripped through a body.   
  
Taking a deep breath as the last of the giggle slipped through his lips, he decided he had to help this young man. He was related to the Battousai. He /had/ to be. If this man was a relative, Soujiro at least owed it to Himura-san for being the catalyst to Soujiro's new and much happier life.   
  
Nudging the other man onto his back, Soujiro carefully balanced him there with one arm and with the other, carried the lantern. The chicken would just have to wait. 


	2. Old Swords Chapter 2

Old Swords  
  
by oronoda  
  
Note: Here's chapter 2. And I own nothing!   
  
Seta Sachiko did not like being left in the dark. Most 12 year olds start to realize that there is more to the world than what they have been exposed to. And she thought she was old enough to know what was going on than being pushed into another room while her parents went into the other and spoke in hushened whispers.   
  
Luckily for her, the walls were made out of paper. And she wasn't being obediant like she should have.   
  
Placing a strand of her silky black hair behind her ear, she sat rather close to the wall so she could pick up what they were talking about. Her light brown eyes were focused on the young red-haired man in the futon in front of him. He was still unconcious and there was a bandage around his head. Sachiko had placed that there herself. She had to help her okaa around the house because Okaa was slipping in the last stages of her pregnancy.   
  
While Sachiko's eyes were busy on the stranger, her ears were focusing on the conversation in the next room. Her parents had told her to keep an eye on Kenji. They didn't exactly say she shouldn't listen in. Well, jokes on them.   
  
"So, let me get this straight," Yuu whispered to her husband in the other room. "You think that he could be the son of the man who you last fought?"  
  
"Hai," Soujiro answered simply, sounding oddly cheerful as a giggle slipped through his mouth. Sachiko had never heard such a tone from his father. True, he had always had a somewhat sunny disposition. However, that giggle sounded...so empty.   
  
"Almost certain of it..." Soujiro continued.   
  
There was a brief pause before Yuu finally spoke up, "Are you sure you are going to be alright? Sachiko and I can take care of him until he's on his feet..."  
  
"No, I shouldn't be afraid of my past..." Soujiro concluded. "That's what got me into trouble last time..."  
  
Sachiko didn't know about her father's past. She there was something more. She was a keen child to pick up the fact that there had to be more to her father's tired but kind face.   
  
"If that's what you believe, but if you start to slip away, I'll smack you to reason..." Yuu sounded worried, but the last bit was said with a touch of affection.  
  
"Don't worry, dear," Soujiro answered sounding almost...panicked?, "Just don't tell Sachiko-chan."  
  
"I know, dear..." Yuu answered dryly, "We had this talk over 12 years ago..."   
  
It was at this moment, Kenji had begun to stir in his bed. His eyes fluttered open and tried to focus in on the area around him, "Where...am I?" he muttered outloud even though he didn't see anyone around.   
  
Sachiko immediately slid over to his side on her knees, "Okaa! Otou! He's awake!" She turned back to Kenji, "You are on the Seta farm. Otou found you unconcious in the woods and brought you here. You have quite a nasty bump on your head."  
  
"Oh..." Kenji answered foggily before he suddenly bolted up, "The sword! I have to get the sword! Itee..." He winced as his hand came to rub his bump.  
  
"You should lay back down," Yuu replied kindly as she waddled into the room followed shortly by Soujiro. "That is a horrible bump on your head." Like her daughter, her hair, no matter how tightly she tied it back, a few strands always managed to escape.  
  
The former Tenken hung close to the door. Even the way he moved was so similar to the Battousai. Soujiro couldn't help but have a flashing hullcination of the Cross-shaped mark on the young man's cheek followed by the room being drenched in blood. Yuu and Sachiko had slash marks across their chests. Maybe he should have taken Yuu's advice. No. He couldn't back off.  
  
As things got back to normal, Yuu was already glancing at him with a look of concern on her face. He had gotten that odd look on his face again. Soujiro dismissed her simply with a flick of his hand. Getting a better view of Kenji, the boy looked quite bewildered which was quite understandable.   
  
"Um...I appreciate what you have done, but I really need to go..." Kenji replies off-handedly and rather coldly as well. As he tried to get to his feet, he winced and fell back down. He must have twisted his ankle when he fell as well.   
  
"Oh...it seems you have hurt your ankle as well. Sachiko, would you mind taking care of that?" Yuu took control of the situation. Then again, that was her personality. Sachiko obeyed and left the area for a few moments.  
  
Kenji was looking quite annoyed, "Seriously, I'll be okay..."  
  
"It seemed you couldn't stand up to me. How can you chase after someone if your foot is bent out of shape?" Soujiro asked with vague innocence and a bit of dryness.   
  
"Really, it is no trouble," Yuu smiles a little. "We had to chase a few bandits off this property before. We think its just a track they use to get to Kyoto. Maybe you can explain what happened?"  
  
She held her hand out for Soujiro who helped her gingerly to the floor. Soujiro soon joined her. Kenji crossed his arms and humphed a little. At least his arms were okay. Sighing, he complied, "I was on the train to Kyoto when a couple of men stole my sword and jumped off the train with it. I followed."  
  
"A sword? This day in age?" Yuu asked curiously.  
  
It was at this moment Sachiko had returned with a bowl of water and a cloth. Gently, she laid the cloth on what looked to be a swelling part of his ankle. Kenji winced. Great, a headache and an ankle ache! He continued crankily, "Yes, its an heirloom. It belonged to my father. Frankly, I don't know what they wanted it. It was a reverse-blade."  
  
Soujiro could feel his heart begin to beat faster. Flash. The scene of the final battle and a familiar pain on his chest. His hand came up to rub it absently accompanied by a vague wince. However, he forced these images away, "A reverse-blade? I knew someone who fought with one. Himura Battousai...or Himura Kenshin. Perhaps, you know him too?"  
  
Kenji's eyes grew wide and flared with intense hatred, "Hai...I know him. He's my father."  
  
----  
  
That's it for chapter 2. Chapter 3 to come soon! 


End file.
